It was first positioned at 9.5° West for testing, which was successfully completed in December 2024,[4] and is currently moving to 19.2° East to begin service in early 2025.

[5] Ordered by SES in 2021 from Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), Astra 1P is a classic wide-beam broadcasting satellite based on the all-electric Spacebus NEO satellite bus produced at the Cannes Mandelieu Space Center in France.

The satellite has 80 physical Ku-band transponders with bandwidth filters, capable of broadcasting up to 500 HDTV channels.

[6][2] Astra 1P is a third generation satellite at SES's original orbital position of 19.2° East to provide continued free-to-air and pay-TV direct-to-home broadcasting services to all of Europe, with an identical coverage and frequency plan to the existing second generation of satellites at this orbital position that are reaching the end of their operational life.

[7][2]In particular, the satellite will serve private and public broadcasters in the following regions of Europe: In addition, Astra 19.2° East is the home of the ASTRA 1 Sports satellite distribution platform delivering sports coverage, major events and significant breaking news to millions of TV households in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.